There is really no reason at all for any brand to not be on some form of social media platform for marketing benefits. The reality is that Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn aren’t the only platforms out there – they’re just the most common.
But what about other non-standard options? Not only do they exist, but they also can create lucrative opportunities to reach new people. From YouTube to Tik Tok, we’ll tell you about them in this post.
YouTube
YouTube isn’t dying. Don’t let anyone make you think it is. As a matter of fact, YouTube is considered not just the second largest social platform, but also a major search engine surpassed only by Google.
People love video content, and that means you can use YouTube to share your message in most cases. Anything you create should be cross-posted either to the platform, or from it to another. You can share links, embed video onto your website, or save your live videos and upload them for preservation.
Facebook Messenger
Yes, it’s a separate app. The only people who can see Facebook Messenger without a separate app are those accessing the platform from desktop. Anyone on mobile — which is the majority of your audience — is using a separate app. Messenger has evolved quite a bit. Your brand can enhance its engagement levels by utilizing chatbots to start new conversations or by pushing ads into the messenger feed.
Tik Tok
Tik Tok is slowly growing in popularity, with a major focus on music. It was initially incredibly popular in eastern countries, but it has been growing in popularity in the US as well. Users can record their own videos with music and special effects, sharing them within the Tik Tok app and across other social platforms. As a business, you can encourage people to participate in specific campaigns, creating videos and sharing them with branded hashtags.
Snapchat
A lot of businesses shy away from Snapchat because the posts disappear so quickly, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. One of the cool things about Snapchat is that you can create your own geographic filters for users to utilize as they take photos. A lot of people do save their photos to their phone galleries, cross-posting them in other places. This particular platform is really geared towards a younger audience, especially college crowds.
Pinterest has been absolutely exploding in terms of business branding. It’s another great platform where simple visual images can have a huge impact. You can upload content directly to the site, pin it from your own website, or share the content created by others. People are using Pinterest for more than just DIY tutorials these days. They’re looking for products and want to see who is using them, recommending them, and sharing them. This is an especially great platform for specialized service providers, like photographers or caterers.
Medium
Want to get more mileage out of your blogs and written content? Set up a profile for your brand on Medium and post some original and repurposed blog content to the site. You’ll reach a new audience and can include links back to your website so that users can find additional unique content and more information about what you have to offer.
WhatsApp is similar to messenger, but with enhanced features. Businesses have been integrating the platform into their customer service strategies, offering enhanced levels of support, order updates, tracking information, and more. The app allows for individual and group chats; there is also a calling feature.
Pheed
Pheed is a great app for budding entrepreneurs, but can be incorporated into other business strategies as well. While you can share free content, the platform can also be used to create paid feeds where you can charge a set rate to access your videos, photos, and more. This is great for those who want to offer tutorials or other forms of premium content.
Tumblr
Part social networking, part microblogging platform, Tumblr is like a cross between unique and maybe just a little odd. People love to hop on Tumblr to share and follow blogs, post strange memes, and leave opinionated commentary. That said, they also use the platform to share products and services, ask questions, and make purchasing decisions.
Ask.fm
Users on Ask.fm can ask and answer all sorts of questions. Create a profile and look for questions that pertain to your niche or area of expertise. You can post answers in the form of text or video, establishing your brand as an authority in your field.
About.me
Having a profile on About.me is sort of like having an online business card. This platform has been around for ages and is still underutilized. Create a profile, connect your resume, and let people know what you’re about. You can view other profiles and track statistics on who visited your page.
Rounds
This is a cool app that makes it easy to have live voice and text chats with small groups of people. You can see each other, play games together, or create extra visual content and photos, even if you aren’t all in the same place. Brands can use this type of app to communicate internally or with those who are telecommuting.
It can even help you cut down on meeting time, but stay connected (and maybe even create some fun visual content for your other social feeds).
There are dozens of social media platforms out there, so don’t get stuck on the idea that you have to focus on Facebook or Twitter. What works best depends on your product, services, target age group, and geographic location.
Marketing in China? You may want to stick with QQ.
Marketing in the US? WhatsApp may be better.
Do your market research and choose a few new apps to either connect with your audience or enhance your business. Just remember, it’s better to develop and learn one platform at a time. Once you have the hang of things, move on to the next. Before you know it, you’ll have a far-reaching network of social channels.
Eric Sachs
SEO virtuoso, CEO @Sachs Marketing Group. Focused on being of service to business owners - helping to better position them in the eyes of their audiences.